Man Who Helped With Hurricane Relief Won New Jersey Lottery

It is often said that a good deed is its own reward. However, John Turner got quite a bit more than that when he went to New Jersey to help with Hurricane Sandy clean up.Turner, who runs a water clean-up service, was born in Newark but has since moved to Chicago. When the storm hit, he knew he had to go back home and aid in the recovery.

Granted some of his incentive to make the trip was financial -- with houses flooded all over the region his service was very much in demand. But the 38-year-old also offered his time and equipment for free for families who didn't have proper insurance.

Last Sunday, after a long day of clean up, Turner bought several scratch-off lottery tickets at a Nepture, NJ convenience store. One of them turned out to be a winner, to the tune of $100,000.

"We are very grateful that John has given his time and skills to help the people dealing with the challenges brought on by Sandy," New Jersey's lottery director said in a statement. "And that New Jersey is giving a memorable thank you back to him."

Turner gets about $70,000 after taxes. Some of the money will go into his business, some to his local church and some to needy families.

Turner is back in Chicago, but has said he will return to New Jersey to do more clean up. We suspect he will buy another lottery ticket or two when he does.